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Genetic manipulation of phages for therapy using BRED
Florencia Payaslian1, Victoria Gradaschi1, Mariana Piuri1
1Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Current Opinion in Biotechnology
|October 11, 2020
Summary
Antibiotic resistance is rising, leading to phage therapy research. Bacteriophage Recombineering of Electroporated DNA (BRED) is a new method for genetically modifying phages, enabling engineered phage therapies for infections.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Genetics
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Rising antibiotic resistance necessitates alternative antimicrobial strategies.
- Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that infect bacteria and are being explored as therapeutic agents.
- Engineered phages offer enhanced therapeutic potential compared to wild-type counterparts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the characteristics and applications of Bacteriophage Recombineering of Electroporated DNA (BRED).
- To discuss the advantages of engineered phages for antimicrobial therapy.
- To explore the future perspectives of BRED in phage engineering.
Main Methods:
- Bacteriophage Recombineering of Electroporated DNA (BRED) is a technique for phage genetic manipulation.
- It involves co-electroporation of phage DNA and a recombination substrate into bacteria.
- Recombination is facilitated in proficient bacterial strains, followed by plaque screening via PCR.
Main Results:
- BRED enables efficient genetic modification of phages.
- The technique was successfully applied in the first patient treatment using engineered phages against a mycobacterial infection.
- PCR screening identifies mutant phages resulting from the BRED process.
Conclusions:
- BRED is a simple and effective method for engineering phages.
- Engineered phages hold significant promise as an alternative to antibiotics.
- BRED technology is poised to advance phage-based therapeutic applications.
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